Field of the Invention
This invention relates to boards and more particularly to a serving board for supporting an edible product.
Background of the Invention
It has become a widely accepted western civilization practice to celebrate any important occasion with a celebration cake. Additionally, singing of festive songs associated with the event, such as the singing of birthday songs, and the adding of lit candles atop a birthday cake has become part of tradition. All of these celebratory elements date back through history to the Roman civilization and in fact fire, and lighted tapers or candles have had a special significance in early pagan rituals.
Modern celebrations generally include icing covered cake with various decorations, commensurate with the event. In order to provide a more festive and decorative atmosphere, more elaborate decorations including sound or music producing devices as well as elaborate lighting configurations have been included in the cake trays, plates or stands. Some of these trays, stands and plates have evolved into fairly complex devices having power supplies, audio, and lighting systems to entertain the celebrants. The complexity of these devices may produce logistics problems since they are required to be returned to their owner and cleaned prior to their next use.
There have been many in the prior art who have attempted to solve these problems with varying degrees of success. None, however completely satisfies the requirements for a complete solution to the aforestated problem. The following U.S. Patents are attempts of the prior art to solve this problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,806 to Sanford discloses a musical greeting card formed from a unitary member having a natural hinge for closing and opening the card. A back cover carries a music box or like element and a front cover carries a resiliency mounted decorative member. The card is maintained closed by communication between the front and back covers in interference fit relation. Upon separating the covers to open the card the music box element is actuated and the decorative member is arranged to pop-up, whereupon the member and a suitable greeting on the bottom of the box are exposed to a viewer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,4787 to Greenblatt discloses a decorative notion or ornament for special occasions of purposes providing both an identifiable theme and melody associated with an occasion to be celebrated or purpose to be noted. Comprising the ornament is a figurine or other identifiable theme constructed with a simulated appearance (if appropriate) long associated with a special purpose occasion or purpose. Assembled plastic sections are interfitted to form an enclosure defining an internal cavity in which a battery operated melody module is contained. The melody module includes a microchip that has been preprogrammed to play a selected melody normally associated with the identifiable theme while a suitable switch is available to actuate, prolong or discontinue playing of the melody.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,604 to Nichols, et al. discloses an illuminated tray for use in darkened restaurants or nightclubs. The tray has a tray housing with a peripheral rim and a flat serving surface recessed within the rim. Spaced apart LEDs are positioned on the tray rim such that the light from the LEDs, when illuminated, is visible from both above and below the tray. Spaced apart batteries for energizing the LEDs are contained within the tray housing and are positioned in a manner that is substantially symmetric with respect to the center of the tray. The tray is thus balanced along any diameter
U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,885 to Trivizki, et al. discloses a serving plate having a base body in which an integrated battery operated musical box is incorporated. The musical box is connected with two electrical leads which are printed on the plate, such that contact is established by a knife when cutting a food product on the plate between the leads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,478 to Ambrosino discloses a food covering system resembling a decorated cake including a cover with receptacles for holding and providing power to illuminating decorations and/or moving decorations, including electronic candles. In response to a breath sensor sensing a predetermined level of air movement, power to the electronic candles is turned off and secondary illuminating decorations, such as letters arranged in a birthday message, are turned on. In addition to the secondary decorations, music or other sounds may be issued from a speaker embedded in the food cover. The secondary decorations and/or music may be turned on for a predetermined time. Alternatively, the secondary decorations and/or music are on with the electronic candles and remain on, after the candles are “blown out”, for a predetermined time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,659 to Kyle, Jr. discloses a rotating musical serving plate with a serving plate removably attached thereto. A support has a base which is securely attached to a lower distal end of a pedestal. The upper distal end of the pedestal is securely attached to a bearing ring having a plurality of bearing retainers functioning to rotatably restrain a plurality of bearings. A drive has plurality of mounting lugs securely attached around an outside lower distal portion of a perimeter of a drive housing. The drive is securely attached to the base by a plurality of mounting lugs by a fastener. An upper distal end of the drive housing is securely attached to a drive cover. The drive cover at a central portion is securely attached to a drive spindle bearing. The serving plate spindle socket cooperates with a drive fluted adapter to securely removably attach the serving plate spindle socket thereto. An audio device has a case which is securely attached to the base by a fastener. The case has an ON/OFF switch which functions to control the audio device. The case further has a speaker which functions to transmit acoustical energy, the audio device functions to emit speech, music and other sounds appropriate to the product displayed on the serving plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,961 to Knoch discloses a wedding cake layer highlighted by a transparent plastic light assembly illuminated by a string of miniature electric lights. The light assembly supports a cake on a transparent plastic tray in an elevated position. The light assembly has one or more transparent plastic tubes forming pillars which are affixed between a top plate and a bottom plate. The plates have pillar entry holes such that a looped strand of lights may pass from the underside of the bottom plate to the top side of the top plate and be affixed thereto. The cake tray has downwardly extending feet which are received within cylindrical protrusions on the top plate. The cake tray has a peripheral rim through which the illuminated miniature lights are visible. An inverted cake tray is positioned beneath the bottom plate such that the feet of the inverted tray engage downwardly extending protrusions on the bottom plate. An electric cord extends from the lighted stand between the bottom plate and the inverted cake tray to be connected to another similar cake support or to an extension cord for connection to a power supply. The inverted tray may be disposed on a tabletop or on an underlying cake layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,870 to Knoch discloses an illuminated display system or assembly. In particular, the illuminated system is designed to display various food items such as wedding cakes, hors d'oeuvres, buffets, pies, and the like. The assembly includes a plurality of plates and sheets adapted to be engaged to form enclosures for lighting. Lighting is secured to the sheets within the enclosures. The assembly further includes one or more pillars each adapted to engage the plates and to house additional lighting. The invention also includes methods of assembling the display system and methods of displaying and illuminating the various food items.
United States Patent Application 2005/0246928 to Lee discloses an illuminating display device adapted for enhancing amusement for a recipient thereof. More particularly, the device includes a portable case having at least one compartment. The device also includes at least one illuminating source received in the compartment. A stencil is attached to the case for permitting light emitted from the illuminating source to be transmitted therethrough in a predetermined pattern. The device is equipped with a dispersion layer for dispersing light emitted from the illuminating source.
United States Patent Application 2011/0067547 to Willis discloses a musical recording and playback device comprising: a flexible plastic bag enclosure serving as a isolator. An electronic integrated circuit is included for storing a pre-programmed recorded message, and at least one speaker is provided for audibly emitting the pre-programmed recorded message to at least one honored recipient. A portable DC power source with a start button acting as an on/off switch is provided for turning the device on to play a message and/or song. The flexible enclosure isolatably contains the generally planar electronic integrated circuit, the speaker, and the portable DC power source assembly. The musical recording and playback device is associated with a festive cake comestible. A kit for use with the cake and method of use is also disclosed herein.
Although the aforementioned prior art have contributed to the development of the art of celebratory cake trays none of these prior art patents have solved the needs of this art.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved serving board for edible products.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved serving board that is disposable upon completion of use.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved serving board that is easy to cost effectively produce.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.